On 2009-05-14 11:18:03 +0100, Kate Brown said:

Judith or David may have an idea, I hope others may as well!

In our little garden in France (Dordogne valley slopes, limestone about
five inches beneath the surface) we have roses, lavender, irises, day
lilies, michaelmas daisies, sage, all abundant. But there is one bed
where I can't seem to grow anything. It's about eighteen inches deep
and eight foot long, against a limestone drystone wall at the gate of
the garden. It faces southeast, but in the winter it's in shadow from
the building on the other side of the path. It gets sun from about
nine to three between April and September. It has quite a slope. It's
a dry bed and we can't get the irrigation system up there.

There's a well-established Kerria at the top end - and I can't get
anything else nice to grow there at all! Thistles, grasses, wild
clematis, and ivy grow with abandon. I've tried canna, which grow like
weeds elsewhere in the village, but the snails ate all the leaves and
they haven't come up at all this year. I sow nasturtiums, which
sprouted one year but not the next. This year I divided up a choked
iris bed and put in some rhizomes, but snails like eating their leaves
too, so I don't hope for much. I also put in some spare daffodil
bulbs, but we're rarely there early enough to enjoy them.

Any ideas? We're there again in June/beginning of July, and again end
of August, so anything that shows in May, June/July, or
August/September would be perfect. It has to be snail-repellent!

There's a page of photos here - the impossible bed is about ten down.

http://www.newcockaigne.demon.co.uk/photos/index.html

What a lovely place you have - lucky you! Had you thought of geraniums
- the cranesbills, not the pelargoniums. They tolerate most soils and
don't seem to troubled by pests. Some types don't miind a fair bit of
shade. One that we especially like is called Geranium Jolly Bee and it
flowers for ages here, well into October, spreading quickly into
sizeable mounds. You could try just one or two as an experiment this
year and then add more if it works.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

On Thu, 14 May 2009, Sacha wrote
On 2009-05-14 11:18:03 +0100, Kate Brown said:

Judith or David may have an idea, I hope others may as well!
In our little garden in France (Dordogne valley slopes, limestone
about five inches beneath the surface) we have roses, lavender,
irises, day lilies, michaelmas daisies, sage, all abundant. But there
is one bed where I can't seem to grow anything. It's about eighteen
inches deep and eight foot long, against a limestone drystone wall at
the gate of the garden. It faces southeast, but in the winter it's in
shadow from the building on the other side of the path. It gets sun
from about nine to three between April and September. It has quite a
slope. It's a dry bed and we can't get the irrigation system up there.
There's a well-established Kerria at the top end - and I can't get
anything else nice to grow there at all! Thistles, grasses, wild
clematis, and ivy grow with abandon. I've tried canna, which grow
like weeds elsewhere in the village, but the snails ate all the
leaves and they haven't come up at all this year. I sow nasturtiums,
which sprouted one year but not the next. This year I divided up a
choked iris bed and put in some rhizomes, but snails like eating
their leaves too, so I don't hope for much. I also put in some spare
daffodil bulbs, but we're rarely there early enough to enjoy them.
Any ideas? We're there again in June/beginning of July, and again
end of August, so anything that shows in May, June/July, or
August/September would be perfect. It has to be snail-repellent!
There's a page of photos here - the impossible bed is about ten
down.
http://www.newcockaigne.demon.co.uk/photos/index.html

What a lovely place you have - lucky you! Had you thought of geraniums
- the cranesbills, not the pelargoniums. They tolerate most soils and
don't seem to troubled by pests. Some types don't miind a fair bit of
shade. One that we especially like is called Geranium Jolly Bee and it
flowers for ages here, well into October, spreading quickly into
sizeable mounds. You could try just one or two as an experiment this
year and then add more if it works.

that's a good idea, thank you Sacha - herb robert grows everywhere so
other cranesbills should too. As long as they're not blue - we have
blue ones here in Blackheath and are getting very fed up with them, they
are so prolific!



--
Kate B

PS 'elvira' is spamtrapped - please reply to 'elviraspam' at cockaigne dot org dot uk if you
want to reply personally

On 2009-05-14 12:33:10 +0100, Kate Brown said:

On Thu, 14 May 2009, Sacha wrote
On 2009-05-14 11:18:03 +0100, Kate Brown said:

Judith or David may have an idea, I hope others may as well!
In our little garden in France (Dordogne valley slopes, limestone
about five inches beneath the surface) we have roses, lavender, irises,
day lilies, michaelmas daisies, sage, all abundant. But there is one
bed where I can't seem to grow anything. It's about eighteen inches
deep and eight foot long, against a limestone drystone wall at the gate
of the garden. It faces southeast, but in the winter it's in shadow
from the building on the other side of the path. It gets sun from
about nine to three between April and September. It has quite a
slope. It's a dry bed and we can't get the irrigation system up there.
There's a well-established Kerria at the top end - and I can't get
anything else nice to grow there at all! Thistles, grasses, wild
clematis, and ivy grow with abandon. I've tried canna, which grow like
weeds elsewhere in the village, but the snails ate all the leaves and
they haven't come up at all this year. I sow nasturtiums, which
sprouted one year but not the next. This year I divided up a choked
iris bed and put in some rhizomes, but snails like eating their leaves
too, so I don't hope for much. I also put in some spare daffodil
bulbs, but we're rarely there early enough to enjoy them.
Any ideas? We're there again in June/beginning of July, and again end
of August, so anything that shows in May, June/July, or
August/September would be perfect. It has to be snail-repellent!
There's a page of photos here - the impossible bed is about ten down.
http://www.newcockaigne.demon.co.uk/photos/index.html

What a lovely place you have - lucky you! Had you thought of geraniums
- the cranesbills, not the pelargoniums. They tolerate most soils and
don't seem to troubled by pests. Some types don't miind a fair bit of
shade. One that we especially like is called Geranium Jolly Bee and it
flowers for ages here, well into October, spreading quickly into
sizeable mounds. You could try just one or two as an experiment this
year and then add more if it works.

that's a good idea, thank you Sacha - herb robert grows everywhere so
other cranesbills should too. As long as they're not blue - we have
blue ones here in Blackheath and are getting very fed up with them,
they are so prolific!

Try G. Ann Folkard - lovely magenta colour!
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Sacha writes
What a lovely place you have - lucky you! Had you thought of geraniums
- the cranesbills, not the pelargoniums. They tolerate most soils and
don't seem to troubled by pests. Some types don't miind a fair bit of
shade. One that we especially like is called Geranium Jolly Bee and it
flowers for ages here, well into October, spreading quickly into
sizeable mounds. You could try just one or two as an experiment this
year and then add more if it works.

Don't the ones that tolerate shade prefer soil that is a bit damper? Or
are there ones that cope with both dry soil and shade?

G endressii (French geranium) is a possibility - that seems to grow
anywhere, sun and shade and rubbish soil, ad once it starts flowering,
it flowers pretty well for the whole summer. Bright pink flowers, not
blue!
--
Kay

On Thu, 14 May 2009, K wrote
Sacha writes
What a lovely place you have - lucky you! Had you thought of
geraniums - the cranesbills, not the pelargoniums. They tolerate most
soils and don't seem to troubled by pests. Some types don't miind a
fair bit of shade. One that we especially like is called Geranium
Jolly Bee and it flowers for ages here, well into October, spreading
quickly into sizeable mounds. You could try just one or two as an
experiment this year and then add more if it works.

Don't the ones that tolerate shade prefer soil that is a bit damper? Or
are there ones that cope with both dry soil and shade?

G endressii (French geranium) is a possibility - that seems to grow
anywhere, sun and shade and rubbish soil, ad once it starts flowering,
it flowers pretty well for the whole summer. Bright pink flowers, not
blue!

Sounds just the thing. Thanks!

--
Kate B

PS 'elvira' is spamtrapped - please reply to 'elviraspam' at cockaigne dot org dot uk if you
want to reply personally

On 2009-05-14 13:00:41 +0100, K said:

Sacha writes
What a lovely place you have - lucky you! Had you thought of geraniums
- the cranesbills, not the pelargoniums. They tolerate most soils and
don't seem to troubled by pests. Some types don't miind a fair bit of
shade. One that we especially like is called Geranium Jolly Bee and it
flowers for ages here, well into October, spreading quickly into
sizeable mounds. You could try just one or two as an experiment this
year and then add more if it works.

Don't the ones that tolerate shade prefer soil that is a bit damper? Or
are there ones that cope with both dry soil and shade?

We find they seem to be pretty tolerant of almost anything that's
thrown at them. I think there are some especially tolerant of both but
can't remember the name just now. G. paheum, perhaps?
snip
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Sacha writes

We find they seem to be pretty tolerant of almost anything that's
thrown at them. I think there are some especially tolerant of both but
can't remember the name just now. G. paheum, perhaps?
snip
That's very tolerant indeed of shade, but I don't think it'd cope well
with dry soil. Ditto Samobar, which is the garden variety of it with the
black leaf spot much more pronounced.
--
Kay

On 2009-05-14 19:50:28 +0100, K said:

Sacha writes

We find they seem to be pretty tolerant of almost anything that's
thrown at them. I think there are some especially tolerant of both but
can't remember the name just now. G. paheum, perhaps?
snip
That's very tolerant indeed of shade, but I don't think it'd cope well
with dry soil. Ditto Samobar, which is the garden variety of it with
the black leaf spot much more pronounced.

All will need *some* watering if it can be arranged with a neighbour in
their absence but on the whole, they cope pretty well with dry
conditions - total drought would push anything to its extreme! And -
all joking aside - would your beloved cacti work there, Kay? I've
never grown them so have no idea. Most of our Geraniums survive on the
rainfall the heavens provide with the occasional extra dollop. If
Kate can find a few cheaply enough to experiment, it will be a lot
cheaper than losing Cannas etc. Worth a try, I think.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Sacha writes

All will need *some* watering if it can be arranged with a neighbour in
their absence but on the whole, they cope pretty well with dry
conditions - total drought would push anything to its extreme! And -
all joking aside - would your beloved cacti work there, Kay?

They'd work in the summer, but would only survive the winter if kept
completely dry.

I've never grown them so have no idea. Most of our Geraniums survive
on the rainfall the heavens provide with the occasional extra dollop.

The heavens are quite generous in your part of the world ;-)

If Kate can find a few cheaply enough to experiment, it will be a
lot cheaper than losing Cannas etc. Worth a try, I think.

Most definitely.

--
Kay

On 2009-05-15 11:29:01 +0100, K said:

Sacha writes

All will need *some* watering if it can be arranged with a neighbour in
their absence but on the whole, they cope pretty well with dry
conditions - total drought would push anything to its extreme! And -
all joking aside - would your beloved cacti work there, Kay?

They'd work in the summer, but would only survive the winter if kept
completely dry.

It sounds as if the bed they're wanted for would see to that!

I've never grown them so have no idea. Most of our Geraniums survive
on the rainfall the heavens provide with the occasional extra dollop.

The heavens are quite generous in your part of the world ;-)

Very - as a glance out of today's window is telling me!

If Kate can find a few cheaply enough to experiment, it will be a lot
cheaper than losing Cannas etc. Worth a try, I think.

Most definitely.

Let's hope it does work and that urg gets a good and happy report from Kate.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

On Thu, 14 May 2009, Sacha wrote
On 2009-05-14 19:50:28 +0100, K said:

Sacha writes
We find they seem to be pretty tolerant of almost anything that's
thrown at them. I think there are some especially tolerant of both
but can't remember the name just now. G. paheum, perhaps?
snip
That's very tolerant indeed of shade, but I don't think it'd cope
well with dry soil. Ditto Samobar, which is the garden variety of it
with the black leaf spot much more pronounced.

All will need *some* watering if it can be arranged with a neighbour in
their absence but on the whole, they cope pretty well with dry
conditions - total drought would push anything to its extreme! And -
all joking aside - would your beloved cacti work there, Kay? I've
never grown them so have no idea. Most of our Geraniums survive on the
rainfall the heavens provide with the occasional extra dollop. If
Kate can find a few cheaply enough to experiment, it will be a lot
cheaper than losing Cannas etc. Worth a try, I think.


I suspect it would be too wet for cacti, but I'm certainly going to have
a go with cranesbill geraniums and sedum - there are patches of sedum in
the wall a bit further down, so I know it should survive, and the
geraniums should be bulky enough to discourage the thistles, with any
luck. Thank you all for your suggestions!

--
Kate B

PS 'elvira' is spamtrapped - please reply to 'elviraspam' at cockaigne dot org dot uk if you
want to reply personally